St Catherines Burbage & St Peters Aston Flamville VE Day ServiceAddress 8th May 2020At a cabinet meeting on 9 April, Churchill decided that there could be a day of celebrations to mark the end of the war in Europe, and hoped that it would be known as VE (Victory in Europe) Day. Shortly thereafter, the public, commercial, and religious institutions began to prepare for, and the press (including the Christian press) to report in expectation of, this long-awaited day. It eventually proved to be Tuesday 8 May 1945, midway between Rogation Sunday and Ascension Day.Besides celebrations in Europe, there was also a powerful sense of what peace might mean after nearly six years of war, and what opportunities and challenges it would present. By the middle of April, the Church of England had decided that there should be a dedicated day to mark deliverance and give thanks to God for victory. All church collections that day would be for Christian work in liberated Europe. Gifts received could be earmarked for a specific country or continental denomination, or else allocated by the reconstruction committee of the World Council of Churches, pending Treasury approval for sterling to leave the UK.Germany had already requested one million Bibles, and English, Swiss, and American theological books, because the Nazis had denied the occupied countries access to the latest scholarship.The Roman Catholic periodical The Tablet announced on 5 May that whenever VE Day occurred there would be Benediction with a Te Deum in all churches and chapels. A votive mass of the Most Blessed Trinity was likely to be held the following Sunday, and a special collection taken for the Catholic European Restoration Fund.On May 7th, General Jodl signed the instrument of surrender at General Eisenhower’s headquarters. All fighting was to cease by midnight on 8 May. Only a matter of hours before this, at 7.40 p.m., the BBC interrupted a piano recital to announce that the next day would be VE Day and a holiday.The ships in harbour ushered in the day with three short blasts and one long one — the Morse code for the V-sign. Searchlights did the same across the sky. Among the first signs that peace was returning was the first weather forecast to appear in the press and on the BBC. It promised “bright intervals”, but warned of a large depression approaching.The opening moments of that morning was fresh, followed by a sunny afternoon, when temperatures rose into the 70s.The ringing of church bells, an ancient symbol of community spirit and celebration, had mostly been banned throughout the conflict. Now the bells were heard throughout the land, drawing in worshippers in abundance.From our Old Testament reading, the Israelites in Zechariah’s time were subjects of the Persian empire, post-exilic Israel lacked national autonomy. They lacked a Davidic king ruling from the throne in Jerusalem. Though the temple was eventually rebuilt, this second temple lacked its former glory so that those who had seen Solomon’s temple wept at the sight of it (Ezra 3:12; Hag 2:3). Understandably, the post-exilic community struggled with discouragement, doubt, and despair as they wondered if God’s promises of future glory would ever become a reality. Into this situation God sent the prophets Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi to speak powerful words of challenge and comfort to his world-weary people, words which are just as relevant and powerful for Christians today. In our Old testament reading the prophet Zechariah hears God say words that were both refreshing and hope filled, the old men and old women shall again sit in the streets of Jerusalem and the streets shall be full of boys and girls playing in its streets. The Apostle Paul says equally encouraging words in his 2nd letter to the Corinthians that it is through Christ we are reconciled with God. The old ways are gone and everything has been made new. I love the plain speaking of this passage taken from The Message: “Because of this decision we don’t evaluate people by what they have or how they look. We looked at the Messiah that way once and got it all wrong, as you know. We certainly don’t look at him that way anymore. Now we look inside, and what we see is that anyone united with the Messiah gets a fresh start, is created new. The old life is gone; a new life burgeons! Look at it! All this comes from the God who settled the relationship between us and him, and then called us to settle our relationships with each other. God put the world square with himself through the Messiah, giving the world a fresh start by offering forgiveness of sins. God has given us the task of telling everyone what he is doing. We’re Christ’s representatives. God uses us to persuade men and women to drop their differences and enter into God’s work of making things right between them. We’re speaking for Christ himself now: Become friends with God; he’s already a friend with you.21 How? you ask. In Christ. God put the wrong on him who never did anything wrong, so we could be put right with God.”So how wonderful and amazing it must have been to finally hear that war is over, that young and old can go into the streets and celebrate this new world. The world that we are now living in 75 years later. We owe the greatest debt of thanks remembering the lives lost, lives lived in fear, to the brave, the selfless deeds, the men and women who defended our liberty.Out of VE Day came an extraordinary new world. This post-war age is not perfect as the discrimination of certain groups still occur, but it is thankfully not tolerated by the masses. Personal autonomy, political freedom and just basic human rights are now afforded to the vast majority of people. We are living in extraordinary times and extraordinary events create extraordinary people. Let us be Gods people today.Pauline Cummins
Thought for the Day 8th May 2020 VE Day 1945I am amazed to think that 75 years have passed since victory in Europe was finally declared. I am sure that there are some older members of our church that remember more than I do but I have been asked to write this, so here we go!I was nearly 11 years old and in the top class at Earl Shilton Junior School. We had been waiting in anticipation for several days but on the evening of May 7th, 1945, there was an announcement on the wireless that the Prime Minister, Winston Churchill would speak to us at 3 o'clock the following afternoon, May 8th.At about 3.15 our Head Mistress, Mrs Clark came in to our classroom and told us that the war was over at last. We all cheered and shouted!We were sent home early. Nobody cared that parents weren't home in those days! I was a latch key kid anyway! We all ran shouting and laughing down the street!My Mam and Dad, who worked in hosiery factories, came home earlier than usual and after we had our tea, we went for a walk to see what was happening. Everyone was out in the streets, all smiling and laughing and talking to each other.The next day was a holiday and we listened to the wireless about everything that was happening in London. A man who lived at the bottom of our street, who was an electrician, had a gramophone which he brought out and the grown ups were dancing to his records and then we all did the "conga" in a long line up and down the road. That was when I learnt to do the "pally glide", a dance of sorts!On the Friday afterwards, we had a street party for us kids in Mrs Peggs garage, the only house in the street that had one! Just in case it rained! All our parents made something for tea, we took our own cups, saucers, plates, and dishes and had jelly and blancmange and wore paper hats we had made out of newspaper! After tea we had races in the street. Running, three legged race, and wheelbarrow races!Some people hung flags out of their windows and the church bells were ringing, the first time I could remember hearing them.Of course, the war in the middle east was still going on, only to be ended after the awful atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima on August 6th and Nagasaki on August 9th, forcing Japan to surrender on August 15th.We children expected everything to suddenly be available because we had been promised for 5 years, that all kinds of things, would be available "after the war"!Yet, when everything settled down, materially, nothing much changed, in fact food was still rationed when I went to teachers training college from 1952 to 1954! As were clothes until 1949!However, our spirits were lighter, people in our cities were no longer afraid to go to bed at night because of bombs, fathers came home to their families, blackout curtains came down and street lights came on again. There was a tremendous amount of work for everyone, to rebuild and to pay off the national debt. After such a long dark time, hopes were high and people set to work with a will to make the world a happier, brighter place.Could this happen when this Coronavirus is over? Many of us have had time to take stock of our lives, appreciate the kindness of others, the hard work and self-sacrifice of the NHS. Look at all the wonderful gifts of nature, listen to the birds, breathe clean air. As John Bevington suggested in his article on Monday's "Thought for the Day", so much good can come out of this difficult time, if we will let it!I am remind of this verse which brings comfort and hope of a better future.James 1:12-18 New Living Translation (NLT)God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.Pat Robinson
Thought for the day 7th May 2020Fear ……. whats’ that?Tomorrow the 8th of May, Her Majesty the Queen will broadcast to the Nation on the 75th anniversary of the end of hostilities in Europe. On the 15th of August 1945 Japan surrendered, bringing World War II to an end. Just twelve days prior to the Japanese surrender I was born, so have no recollection of air raids, sirens and the fear that both had engendered among the people of this country during six long years. My arrival initially came as a joyful interlude for Mum and Dad, who had endured all those years of bombing, death, destruction and hardship. However, this respite from worry and stress was fairly short-lived, as it was soon discovered I had a weak respiratory system and my early years were plagued with frequent attacks of asthma and bronchitis, not to mention several spells in hospital.Although my asthma is now controlled, I still carry the legacy of those bygone days, so when I learned of the symptoms and possible outcome of catching Coronavirus, I wasn’t sure how I would react emotionally. Fear is one of the most powerful emotions. It has a very strong effect on your mind and body. Some people become overwhelmed by fear and want to avoid situations that might make them frightened or anxious. Can you imagine people being gripped by fear during the war with bombs dropping all around them?So why, since we were first told about Covid-19, have I not felt afraid? How often have we heard the phrase “Keep calm and Carry on”? Last Sunday during our ‘Zoom’ service, the choir sang for us the hymn ‘Trust and Obey’ by John H Simmis. It was a favourite of my mother’s and in fact we sang it at her funeral. I find the second verse to be particularly meaningful at this time: “Not a shadow can rise, not a cloud in the skies, But His smile quickly drives it away; Not a doubt or a fear, not a sigh or a tear, Can abide while we trust and obey.During my Christian journey I have come to greatly believe in the power of prayer, that when we pray, we admit that God’s ways are higher than ours. We need to show that we are leaving our troubles and burdens in His capable hands, and in fact the Bible promises that when we reach out to Him in prayer, He hears us. So that, ladies and gentlemen, is why, throughout all this, I have not felt afraid. In fact, I would even go so far as to say that I feel the presence of His guardian angels around me. In Deuteronomy 31: verse 8 we read “The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” Carol Hope.
Jesus breathes the Spirit: Station 10John 20:21-23Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.’ When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.’Sometimes life gets busy, even during lockdown, and sometimes we feel anxious or surrounded by thoughts of our own isolation. When life gets like this, we often overlook a basic essential: breathing. We go on autopilot and our breath becomes shallow. It can be good to just stop and to have some focused breathing: Inhale. Exhale. Repeat. Relax.Have you ever listened to the rhythm of the sea or the ocean? Intentionally listened? When we listen to the swoosh and sway of the waves it relaxes us. Our own breath can have the same effect, relieving stress.When Jesus appeared to the disciples on the evening of his resurrection day, they were fearful and had chosen to go into lock down together, to hide away from the Jewish leaders. Jesus knew their fears and anxieties and so he greeted them with his Peace. The disciples were so pleased to see him, they were overjoyed. They saw that Jesus was flesh and blood, but supernaturally natural, because he had entered a room which had locked doors! Again, he said ‘Peace be with you!’ The excited disciples needed to be ready for what was to come next. He wanted them to receive the Holy Spirit, the breath of God. Throughout the Bible, the Holy Spirit is often depicted as the breath of God, the wind of God. In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word Ruach means wind, breath or spirit. The word’s first use in the Bible appears in the second verse: “The Spirit of God [Ruach Elohim] was hovering over the waters” (Genesis 1:2). In Genesis 6:17 ruach is translated “breath of life.” Genesis 8:1 uses ruach to describe the “wind” God sent over the earth to recede the Flood waters. Altogether, the word ruach is found almost 400 times in the Old Testament. The corresponding Greek word used in the New Testament is pneuma. There is life in the breath of God and we are not truly alive until we allow God to breathe into us.In our reading, Jesus identified himself with the Father, the one who sent Him, the one who gave him authority. Jesus sent his disciples, to be his witnesses, to declare that God forgives our sins and wants us to have new life with him. But he knew that the disciples couldn’t do that job on their own. They needed the power of the Holy Spirit and so he breathed on them and gave them a foretaste of Pentecost. The Holy Trinity is evident and at work in this story. Our God is Father, Son and Holy Spirit – distinct and yet in relationship with each other. Our God is a relational God and He wants to breathe his life into us so that we can have a living, vibrant relationship with Him.God has made us as physical as well as spiritual beings. Breathing is a physical act. We can come to God and ask Him to fill us with His Holy Spirit, then we can physically breathe in as we picture being filled with the breath of God. I invite you to do some focussed breathing as we think about this. First, we need to remove all the clutter, both physical and emotional. Let go of the excess and choose to be in a quiet and comfortable space. Inhale. Exhale. Repeat. Relax.Take long breaths through your nose. Release your breath through your mouth. As you continue to focus on your breath you will become calmer. Breathe deeply and consistently. Do you know that focused breathing has many health benefits and also breathing in the breath of God gives us spiritual benefits?1. Reduces stress: Focused breathing calms us. We often go through our day on autopilot. We forget to breathe deeply. Our mental and physical health suffers. It’s easy to forget to breathe. Make a point to consciously feel your breath each day. You will be much more relaxed. Jesus greets you with his peace. Inhale. Exhale. Repeat. Relax.2. Increases energy: Deep breathing allows more oxygen to enter our lungs and bloodstream. Oxygen creates energy. Body and mind will be reenergized after a short session of focused breathing. Try it. God wants us to be energised to serve Him, to be sent out by Jesus to share the Good News of our New Life with Him. Inhale. Exhale. Repeat. Relax.3. Aids digestion: If you suffer from indigestion, breathing is one of the simplest cures. Deep breathing after meals will help you digest your food. The Spirit helps us to digest the Word, to make sense of what we read in the Bible. Inhale. Exhale. Repeat. Relax.4. Creates happiness: When we are calm, we are at peace. When we are at peace our happiness level increases. When we are happy, we are calmer. Do you see a pattern here? Focus on your breathing and allow the joy of the Lord to fill your heart and mind. Inhale God’s Spirit and exhale God’s praise. As the Psalm 150 says: ‘Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!’ Inhale. Exhale. Repeat. Relax.5. Stimulates creativity: Deep breathing helps clear the mind. Oxygen stimulates brain cells and fosters creativity. Let God create in you a new heart, to renew a right spirit within you. Inhale. Exhale. Repeat. Relax.During this time of lock down we have some respite from the usual rush of life. May we use this time to remember to stop and breathe and to be renewed by the Spirit of God.AmenMary Tynan
